Allegedly, When he heard that in Central Asia there was a Jewish state with a Jewish ruler, he desired to enter into correspondence with this monarch ; and when the report of the existence of the state of the Khazars was confirmed by two Jews, Mar Saul and Mar Joseph, who had come in the retinue of an embassy from the Croatian king to Córdoba, Hasdai entrusted to them a letter, written in good Hebrew addressed to the Jewish king, in which he gave an account of his position in the Western state, described the geographical situation of Andalusia and its relation to foreign countries, and asked for detailed information in regard to the Khazars, their origin, their political and military organization, etc.

Isaac ben Sheshet Perfet, of Barcelona, studied under Hasdai Crescas and Rabbi Nissim ben Reuben Gerondi.

Pethahiah of Regensburg also refers to the latter, but under the name of " Daniel ben Solomon "; hence it must be assumed that Hasdai was also called " Solomon.

' Abd al-Rahman's court physician and minister was Hasdai ben Isaac ibn Shaprut, the patron of Menahem ben Saruq, Dunash ben Labrat, and other Jewish scholars and poets.

Hasdai secured a great diplomatic triumph during the difficulties which arose between the kingdoms of Leon and Navarre, when the ambitious Queen Toda sought the aid of ' Abd al-Rahman in reinstating her deposed grandson Sancho.

The Correspondence originated with Hasdai ibn Shaprut, foreign secretary to Abd ar-Rahman III, the Umayyad Caliph of Cordoba and al-Andalus.

The following list of Karaite exilarchs, father being succeeded always by son, is given in the genealogy of one of these " Karaite princes ": Anan, Saul, Josiah, Boaz, Jehoshaphat, David, Solomon, Hezekiah, Hasdai, Solomon II " Likkute Kadmoniyyot ," ii.

" Benjamin of Tudela in 1170 mentions the exilarch Hasdai, among whose pupils was the subsequent pseudo-Messiah David Alroy, and Hasdai's son, the exilarch Daniel.

Hasdai was sent to the court of Navarre ; and he succeeded after a long struggle in persuading the queen to go to Córdoba with her son and grandson, in order to prostrate herself before the caliph, her old enemy, and implore the aid of his arms ( 958 ).

Hasdai sent rich presents to the yeshiva of Sura and that of Pumbedita, and corresponded with Dosa, the son of Saadia Gaon.

Isaac ibn Ezra ( son of Abraham ibn Ezra ibn Shaprut ), had a son named Hasdai ben Isaac ibn ezra bn Shaprut ( Abu Yusuf ben Yitzhak bin Ezra ibn Shaprut ).

I, Hasdai, son of Isaac, son of Ezra, belonging to the exiled Jews of Jerusalem in Sepharad, a servant of my lord the King, bow to the earth before him and prostrate myself towards the abode of your Majesty from a distant land.

The list of the exilarchs down to the end of the 9th century is given as follows in an old document " Mediæval Jewish Chronicles ," i. 196: " Bostanai, Hanina ben Adoi, Hasdai I, Solomon, Isaac Iskawi I, Judah Zakkai ( Babawai ), Moses, Isaac Iskawi II, David ben Judah, Hasdai II.

' Ukba is mentioned as exilarch immediately following Hasdai II ; he was deposed at the instigation of Kohen Zedek, gaon of Pumbedita, but was reinstated in 918 on account of some Arabic verses with which he greeted the calif Al-Muktadir.

Among well known ( generally non-kabbalist or anti-kabbalist ) Rabbis who rejected the idea of reincarnation are Saadia Gaon, David Kimhi, Hasdai Crescas, Yedayah Bedershi ( early 14th century ), Joseph Albo, Abraham ibn Daud, the Rosh and Leon de Modena.

" On the topic of omniscience and free will, Jacobs writes that in the medieval period, three views were put forth: Maimonides, who wrote that God had foreknowledge and man is free ; Gersonides, who wrote that man is free and consequently God does not have complete knowledge, and Hasdai Crescas, who wrote in Or Adonai that God has complete foreknowledge and consequently God is not really free.

Hasdai Crescas was a student of Nissim ben Reuben Gerondi, who in turn was a student of Reuben ben Nissim Gerondi.

Among well known Rabbis who rejected the idea of reincarnation are Saadia Gaon, David Kimhi, Hasdai Crescas, Yedayah Bedershi ( early 14th century ), Joseph Albo, Abraham ibn Daud and Leon de Modena.

Hasdai, who soon perceived that the letter could not be delivered to the caliph in its present form, persuaded the envoys to send for another letter which should contain no objectionable matter.

With Hasdai as its leading patron, Córdoba became the " Mecca of Jewish scholars who could be assured of a hospitable welcome from Jewish courtiers and men of means " ( Sarna, p. 327 ).

The first historical document relating to the Jews of Hungary is the letter written about 960 A. D. to King Joseph of the Khazars by Hasdai ibn Shaprut, the Jewish statesman of Córdoba, in which he says that the Slavic ambassadors promised to deliver the message to the King of Slavonia, who would hand the same to Jews living in " the country of Hungarin ", who, in turn, would transmit it farther.

Shmuel Ha-Nagid, Hasdai Ibn Shaprut, and Rabbi Moshe ben Hanoch founded the Lucena Yeshiva that produced such brilliant scholars as Rabbi Yitzhak ibn Ghiath and Rabbi Maimon ben Yosef ( father of Maimonides ).

Preceding Hasdai II's name in the list that of his father Natronai must be inserted.

* Joseph ibn Hasdai, poet, father of Abu al-Fadl ibn Hasdai

Some Jewish scholars view Hasdai ibn Shaprut's father ( the apostate previously known as Isaac bin Ezra ) as the primary driver for enticing the heads of Jewish Academies, in Babylon, to come to Spain.

While defending Maimonides against Hasdai and Albo, he refused to accept dogmatic articles for Judaism, criticizing any formulation as minimizing acceptance of all 613 mitzvot.

Hasdai sent a letter to Empress Helena of Byzantium in which he pleaded for religious liberty to be granted to the Jews of Byzantium.

He returned, possibly taking the so-called Schechter Letter ( penned by a Khazar and possibly intended for Hasdai ) back with him.

Another of his astronomical works, prepared for Hasdai ben Isaac ibn Shaprut, the Jewish statesman of Cordova, consisted of three parts: ( 1 ) the nature of the spheres ; ( 2 ) astronomical calculations ; ( 3 ) the courses of the stars.

Hasdai benefitted world Jewry not only indirectly by creating a favorable environment for scholarly pursuits within Iberia, but also by using his influence to intervene on behalf of foreign Jews, as is reflected in his letter to the Byzantine Princess Helena.

Hasdai ( Abu Yusuf ben Yitzhak ben Ezra ) ibn Shaprut ( Hebrew: חסדאי אבן שפרוט ) born about 915 at Jaén ; died about 975 at Córdoba in Spain, was a Jewish scholar, physician, diplomat, and patron of science.

Hasdai was very active in behalf of his co-religionists and Jewish science.

In Maimonides ' time, his list of tenets was criticized by Hasdai Crescas and Joseph Albo.

The most rigorous medieval critique of Maimonides is Hasdai Crescas ' Or Adonai.

Accordingly, Hasdai Crescas mentions Ibn Daud as the only Jewish philosopher among the predecessors of Maimonides.

Hasdai Crescas, of Barcelona, was a leading rationalist on issues of natural law and free-will.

Joseph Albo, of Monreal, was a student of Hasdai Crescas.

His most important work, Rosh Amanah (" The Pinnacle of Faith "), defends Maimonides ' thirteen articles of belief against attacks of Hasdai Crescas and Yosef Albo.

Accordingly, Hasdai Crescas mentions Ibn Daud as the only Jewish philosopher among the predecessors of Maimonides ( Or Adonai, ch.

Hasdai I was probably Bostanai's grandson.

* Hasdai Crescas ( c. 1340, Barcelona – 1410 / 1411 ), a Catalan Jewish philosopher, halakhist

His closest disciples were the Rivash ( Isaac ben Sheshet ) and Hasdai Crescas.